Hidden Love: LGBTQ+ lives in the archives

The National Archives’ collections offer a valuable insight into how the government interacted with and viewed LGBTQ communities in the past, at a time when the State played a major role in repressing and controlling the lives of gay and bisexual men and women. This talk takes you through records relating to queer history, using photographs, court reports, witness statements and seized items to highlight both criminalisation and brave acts of defiance. From the calling card of transgender diplomat Chevalier d’Eon to records pertaining to the lively Shim Sham Club, so named after the Harlem tap dance, records are looked at in the context of significant moments and milestones in the movement towards LGBTQ equality. This talk, which took place on Thursday 20 February 2020, was presented by Victoria Iglikowski-Broad, Principal Records Specialist on Diverse Histories at The National Archives, alongside a document display.